Famous Geeks: Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg has established himself as one of Hollywood’s “go-to” guys when the execs need to get themselves a screwy sidekick type or an affable comedic lead who wont demand extortionate wages. As far as big time actors go, it is hard to find a genre movie buff and sci-fi geek quite as fanatical as Pegg. His love of Star Wars is especially renowned, if not legendary. Virtually every one of his self-penned movies and TV shows has a reference, in some way, shape or form, to his favourite space western franchise. That’s not to mention the time he spent all of his money travelling to America to see Episode I before it was released in his native UK.

Just One Cornetto (trilogy)

While Simon Pegg was a popular figure on the English comedy television circuit with cult hit shows like Spaced and Big Train, it was his starring role in rom-zom-com classic Shaun of the Dead that really got him noticed by the big-wigs and he hasn’t looked back since. Before long, Mr Pegg had added to his impressively geeky filmography with the other two installments of what he affectionately refers to as “The Cornetto Trilogy”; sci-fi send-up The World’s End and cheesy action movie parody Hot Fuzz. Each of these films is a love letter to one of Pegg’s favourite genres, crammed to bursting with references to everything from The Wicker Man to Bad Boys 2 (and that’s just one of the movies!). For those wondering why this trio of geek-infused comedies are named after a type of delicious ice cream cone, it is because a Cornetto has a cameo role in each of them. If that sounds a bit daft to you it’s because it truly is an utterly bizarre take on nomenclature. That said, once you’ve heard of it, you’d be hard pressed to forget it!

To The Stars (for a combination of war and trekking)!

Pegg is well known for his dry wit, lovable charm and self-deprecating humor in reference (and also reverence) to his total geekiness. This may also be one of the reasons he was cast as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, in the rebooted Star Trek franchise, directed by J.J. Abrams. One cannot help but wonder if this felt like something of a betrayal for such a huge Star Wars fan. After all, arguments between Trekkies and Star Wars fans are the stuff of legend!

As fortune would have it, J.J. Abrams went on to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens and gave Pegg a small part with some lines (although you’d never recognise him in his alien get up – the name is Unkar Plutt for all you pub quiz champions). Technically this wasn’t Simon Pegg’s first speaking role in Star Wars as he voiced the bounty hunter Dengar (You know, the one that wasn’t Boba Fett, IG-88 or the lizard man – the one with the bandages!) in an episode of the Clone Wars TV series. He also voiced a version of C-3PO in an cartoon show called Phineas and Ferb as well as starring as the golden robot (alongside long time co-star and best buddie Nick Frost who played R2-D2).

After appearing in The Force Awakens, Simon Pegg now bears the distinction of having played an official speaking part in each of the ‘Big 3’ of Geekdom; Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who (as ‘The Editor’). He is also good buddies with Peter Serafinowicz, also known as the voice of Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. This is a particularly interesting situation as Simon Pegg has spoken out against the prequel trilogy several times, notably in his TV show Spaced, where his character berates the Phantom Menace – Serafinowicz made several appearances in that same series, so he mustn’t take it too personally.

After all, who could stay mad at that face?

Simon Pegg, a man so cool, he wore a red shirt in a Star Trek film and lived to tell the tale.

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About The Author

Sean is Geek Ireland's resident dinosaur enthusiast, having been fascinated by prehistory since a time before he could read, speak or stand in an upright position (he still struggles to do at least one of these things on a daily basis).
Known as one of the biggest dinosaur fans Ireland has ever produced, Sean has delivered talks on his favourite subject at many venues and events including the Irish Film Institute, the UCD Science Expression Festival, Tayto Park, Dublin Comic Con and even London's Comedy Store.

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RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we're banking on this being the best

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we’re banking on this being the best gaming event in Ireland during 2018!